Ethernet virtual private network using segment routing

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) is implemented using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling. A particular route associated with a particular Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID) is advertised in a particular route advertisement message of a routing protocol (e.g., BGP). The SID includes encoding representing a particular Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) Layer 2 (L2) flooding Segment Routing end function of the particular router and a particular Ethernet Segment Identifier (ESI), with the particular SID including a routable prefix to the particular router. The particular router receives a particular packet including the particular SID; and in response, the particular router performs the particular EVPN end function on the particular packet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/671,188, filed on Feb. 14, 2022, which in turn, is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/697,134, filed Nov. 26, 2019, whichin turn, is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/783,753, filed Oct. 13, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,491,720, whichclaims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/525,439, filed Jun. 27, 2017, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to sending of packets through apacket network, such as, but not limited to, according to SegmentRouting of packets through a packet network.

BACKGROUND

The communications industry is rapidly changing to adjust to emergingtechnologies and ever increasing customer demand. This customer demandfor new applications and increased performance of existing applicationsis driving communications network and system providers to employnetworks and systems having greater speed and capacity (e.g., greaterbandwidth). In trying to achieve these goals, a common approach taken bymany communications providers is to use packet switching technology.Packets are typically forwarded in a network forwarded based on one ormore values representing network nodes or paths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended claims set forth the features of one or more embodimentswith particularity. The embodiment(s), together with its advantages, maybe understood from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a network operating according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1B illustrates a process according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1C illustrates a process according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1D illustrates different Segment Routing (SR) packet formatsaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 2A illustrates a packet switching device according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2B illustrates an apparatus according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3A illustrates a SRv6 Type-Length-Value (TLV) according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 3B illustrates SRv6-SID information according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3C illustrates SRv6-VPN encoding according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4A illustrates a SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routeadvertisement message according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 4B illustrates a SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routeadvertisement message according to one embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 1. Overview

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media,mechanisms, and means associated with Ethernet Virtual Private Network(EVPN) using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6)underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)signaling.

One embodiment includes: advertising, in a network via a particularroute advertisement message of a routing protocol, a particular routeassociated with a particular Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) SegmentRouting (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID), with the SID including alocator of a particular router and a function encoding representing aparticular Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) end function of theparticular router, with the particular SID including a routable prefixto the particular router; receiving, by the particular router, aparticular packet including the particular SID; and in response to saidreceived particular packet including the particular SID, the particularrouter performing the particular EVPN end function on the particularpacket.

One embodiment includes: receiving an advertisement of the particularroute being associated with the particular SID by an ingress router inthe network; receiving an Ethernet frame by the ingress router;encapsulating the Ethernet frame into the particular packet by theingress router; and sending the particular packet into the network bythe ingress router; wherein said performing the particular EVPN endfunction on the particular packet includes decapsulating the Ethernetframe from the packet and sending the Ethernet frame from the particularrouter.

In one embodiment, the particular packet includes a Segment RoutingHeader (SRH) including the particular SID as the currently active SID.In one embodiment, the routing protocol is Border Gateway Protocol, andthe particular route advertising message advertises a BGP route type 1,2, 3, or 5, and associated with a particular SRv6-VPN Type Length Value(TLV) including the particular SID. In one embodiment, the particularroute advertising message includes advertising the particular routebeing associated with one or more BGP Multiprotocol LabelSwitching-based (MPLS-based) EVPN labels for which to use in an MPLSpacket to invoke corresponding BGP MPLS-based EVPN functionality on acorresponding MPLS packet by the particular router.

One embodiment includes receiving, by an ingress router, anadvertisement of the particular route being associated with both theparticular SID and said one or more MPLS-EVPN labels; receiving anEthernet frame by the ingress router; encapsulating the Ethernet frameinto the particular packet by the ingress router; and sending theparticular packet into the network by the ingress router. In oneembodiment, performing the particular EVPN end function on theparticular packet includes decapsulating the Ethernet frame from thepacket and sending the Ethernet frame from the particular router.

One embodiment includes: receiving, by a second ingress router, anadvertisement of the particular route being associated with both theparticular SID and said one or more MPLS-EVPN labels; receiving a secondEthernet frame by the second ingress router; encapsulating the secondEthernet frame into a particular MPLS packet by the second ingressrouter; sending the particular MPLS packet into the network by thesecond ingress router; and performing said corresponding BGP MPLS-basedEVPN functionality on the particular MPLS packet which includesdecapsulating the second Ethernet frame from the particular MPLS packetand sending the second Ethernet frame from the particular router.

2. Description

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media,mechanisms, and means associated with EVPN using a SRv6 Underlay Networkand SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling. As usedherein Segment Routing refers to SRv6. Also, a segment identifier (SID)related to SRv6 typically refers to an IPv6 address, however, it alsoincludes other SRv6 encoding(s) (e.g., compact encoding of SIDs) if soused in the embodiment.

As used herein, a node is a device in a network; a router (also referredto herein as a packet switching device) is a node that forwards receivedpackets not explicitly addressed to itself (e.g., an L2 or L3 packetswitching device); and a host is any node that is not a router.

The term “route” is used to refer to a fully or partially expandedprefix (e.g., 10.0.0.1, 10.0.*.*, BGP Network Layer ReachabilityInformation (NLRI), EVPN NLRI), which is different than a “path” throughthe network which refers to a nexthop (e.g., next router) or completepath (e.g., traverse router A then router B, and so on). Also, the useof the term “prefix” without a qualifier herein refers to a fully orpartially expanded prefix.

Embodiments described herein include various elements and limitations,with no one element or limitation contemplated as being a criticalelement or limitation. Each of the claims individually recites an aspectof the embodiment in its entirety. Moreover, some embodiments describedmay include, but are not limited to, inter alia, systems, networks,integrated circuit chips, embedded processors, ASICs, methods, andcomputer-readable media containing instructions. One or multiplesystems, devices, components, etc., may comprise one or moreembodiments, which may include some elements or limitations of a claimbeing performed by the same or different systems, devices, components,etc. A processing element may be a general processor, task-specificprocessor, a core of one or more processors, or other co-located,resource-sharing implementation for performing the correspondingprocessing. The embodiments described hereinafter embody various aspectsand configurations, with the figures illustrating exemplary andnon-limiting configurations. Computer-readable media and means forperforming methods and processing block operations (e.g., a processorand memory or other apparatus configured to perform such operations) aredisclosed and are in keeping with the extensible scope of theembodiments. The term “apparatus” is used consistently herein with itscommon definition of an appliance or device.

The steps, connections, and processing of signals and informationillustrated in the figures, including, but not limited to, any block andflow diagrams and message sequence charts, may typically be performed inthe same or in a different serial or parallel ordering and/or bydifferent components and/or processes, threads, etc., and/or overdifferent connections and be combined with other functions in otherembodiments, unless this disables the embodiment or a sequence isexplicitly or implicitly required (e.g., for a sequence of read thevalue, process said read value—the value must be obtained prior toprocessing it, although some of the associated processing may beperformed prior to, concurrently with, and/or after the read operation).Also, nothing described or referenced in this document is admitted asprior art to this application unless explicitly so stated.

The term “one embodiment” is used herein to reference a particularembodiment, wherein each reference to “one embodiment” may refer to adifferent embodiment, and the use of the term repeatedly herein indescribing associated features, elements and/or limitations does notestablish a cumulative set of associated features, elements and/orlimitations that each and every embodiment must include, although anembodiment typically may include all these features, elements and/orlimitations. In addition, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., as well as“particular” and “specific” are typically used herein to denotedifferent units (e.g., a first widget or operation, a second widget oroperation, a particular widget or operation, a specific widget oroperation). The use of these terms herein does not necessarily connotean ordering such as one unit, operation or event occurring or comingbefore another or another characterization, but rather provides amechanism to distinguish between elements units. Moreover, the phrases“based on x” and “in response to x” are used to indicate a minimum setof items “x” from which something is derived or caused, wherein “x” isextensible and does not necessarily describe a complete list of items onwhich the operation is performed, etc. Additionally, the phrase “coupledto” is used to indicate some level of direct or indirect connectionbetween two elements or devices, with the coupling device or devicesmodifying or not modifying the coupled signal or communicatedinformation. Moreover, the term “or” is used herein to identify aselection of one or more, including all, of the conjunctive items.Additionally, the transitional term “comprising,” which is synonymouswith “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” is inclusive oropen-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or methodsteps. Finally, the term “particular machine,” when recited in a methodclaim for performing steps, refers to a particular machine within the 35USC § 101 machine statutory class.

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media,mechanisms, and means associated with Ethernet Virtual Private Network(EVPN) using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6)underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)signaling.

In one embodiment, to support SRv6 based EVPN overlays, a SID isadvertised in route-type 1, 2, 3 and 5. The SID (or SIDS), perroute-type, are advertised in a new SRv6-VPN SID TLV which is optionaltransitive BGP Prefix SID attribute. This attribute serves two purposes;first it indicates that the BGP egress device is reachable via an SRv6underlay and the BGP ingress device receiving this route MAY choose toencapsulate or insert an SRv6 SRH. Second, it indicates the value of theSID or SIDs to include in the SRH encapsulation. A BGP speakersupporting an SRv6 underlay MAY distribute SIDs per route via the BGPSRv6 Attribute. If the BGP speaker supports MPLS based EVPNsimultaneously, then it MAY also populate the Label values in EVPN routetypes and allow the BGP ingress device to decide which encapsulation touse. If the BGP speaker does not support MPLS based EVPN services theMPLS Labels in EVPN route types MUST be set to IMPLICIT-NULL.

One embodiment includes: advertising, in a network via a particularroute advertisement message of a routing protocol, a particular routeassociated with a particular Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) SegmentRouting (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID), with the SID including alocator of a particular router and a function encoding representing aparticular Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) end function of theparticular router, with the particular SID including a routable prefixto the particular router; receiving, by the particular router, aparticular packet including the particular SID; and in response to saidreceived particular packet including the particular SID, the particularrouter performing the particular EVPN end function on the particularpacket.

One embodiment includes: receiving an advertisement of the particularroute being associated with the particular SID by an ingress router inthe network; receiving an Ethernet frame by the ingress router;encapsulating the Ethernet frame into the particular packet by theingress router; and sending the particular packet into the network bythe ingress router; wherein said performing the particular EVPN endfunction on the particular packet includes decapsulating the Ethernetframe from the packet and sending the Ethernet frame from the particularrouter.

In one embodiment, the particular packet includes a Segment RoutingHeader (SRH) including the particular SID as the currently active SID.In one embodiment, the routing protocol is Border Gateway Protocol, andthe particular route advertising message advertises a BGP route type 1,2, 3, or 5, and associated with a particular SRv6-VPN Type Length Value(TLV) including the particular SID. In one embodiment, the particularroute advertising message includes advertising the particular routebeing associated with one or more BGP Multiprotocol LabelSwitching-based (MPLS-based) EVPN labels for which to use in an MPLSpacket to invoke corresponding BGP MPLS-based EVPN functionality on acorresponding MPLS packet by the particular router.

One embodiment includes receiving, by an ingress router, anadvertisement of the particular route being associated with both theparticular SID and said one or more MPLS-EVPN labels; receiving anEthernet frame by the ingress router; encapsulating the Ethernet frameinto the particular packet by the ingress router; and sending theparticular packet into the network by the ingress router. In oneembodiment, performing the particular EVPN end function on theparticular packet includes decapsulating the Ethernet frame from thepacket and sending the Ethernet frame from the particular router.

One embodiment includes: receiving, by a second ingress router, anadvertisement of the particular route being associated with both theparticular SID and said one or more MPLS-EVPN labels; receiving a secondEthernet frame by the second ingress router; encapsulating the secondEthernet frame into a particular MPLS packet by the second ingressrouter; sending the particular MPLS packet into the network by thesecond ingress router; and performing said corresponding BGP MPLS-basedEVPN functionality on the particular MPLS packet which includesdecapsulating the second Ethernet frame from the particular MPLS packetand sending the second Ethernet frame from the particular router.

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media,mechanisms, and means associated with EVPN using a SRv6 Underlay Networkand SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling.

FIG. 1A illustrates network 100 operating according to one embodiment.As shown, network 100 includes client networks 101 and 103 (which arethe same network in one embodiment) external to network 110, whichincludes edge nodes (e.g., SRv6 and/or MPLS) 111 and 113 and a network112 of nodes (e.g., routers, hosts, gateways, and service functions)some, none, or all of which may be SR-capable nodes. In response toreceiving a native packet, a SR edge node 111, 113 identifies a SRpolicy (e.g., list of one or more segments) through or to which toforward a SR packet encapsulating the native packet. These policies canchange in response to network conditions, network programming, routeadvertisements, etc. SR edge nodes 111 and 113 also decapsulate nativepackets from SR packets and forward the native packets into network 101and 103.

FIG. 1B illustrates a process according to one embodiment. Processingbegins with process block 120. In process block 122, SR nodes (e.g.,routers) in the SR networks continuously advertise and exchange segmentand routing information via one or more routing protocols and/or via oneor more label distribution protocols. In one embodiment, a BGP routeadvertisement includes SRv6 EVPN information including one or more SIDs.In one embodiment, a BGP route advertisement includes SRv6 EVPNinformation (e.g., including one or more SIDs) and MPLS EVPNinformation. In one embodiment, a BGP route advertisement includes SRv6EVPN information (e.g., including one or more SIDs) and an implicit nullin each label field MPLS EVPN information signaling that the advertisingnode does not support MPLS EVPN but supports SRv6 EVPN. In process block124, SR edge devices (e.g., SRv6 headends) continuously update their SRpolicies as needed. Processing of the flow diagram of FIG. 1B iscomplete as indicated by process block 129.

FIG. 1C illustrates a process performed by a SR edge router according toone embodiment. Processing begins with process block 130. In processblock 132, a packet is received. In process block 134, an ingress lookupoperation is performed based on the packet to determine processinginformation. As determined in process block 135, if the packet wasreceived on an external network interface and will be sent into a SRv6or MPLS network, then processing proceeds to process block 136, elseprocessing proceeds to process block 141. As determined in process block141, if the packet was received on a SRv6 or MPLS network interface andwill be sent to an external network, then processing proceeds to processblock 142, else processing proceeds to process block 148 wherein thepacket is processed normally and processing proceeds to process block149.

Continuing in process block 136, the received native packet isencapsulated into a SRv6 packet with a SRv6 encapsulating header with atleast one SID identifying an EVPN End Function according to acorresponding policy, and processing proceeds to process block 138.

Continuing in process block 142, the native packet is removed from beingencapsulated in the received SRv6 or MPLS packet; in process block 144,the Segment Routing EVPN End Function identified from the SID in thereceived SRv6 packet is performed or the EVPN function identified by anMPLS label is performed; and processing proceeds to process block 145.As determined in process block 145, if an egress lookup operation is tobe performed as part of the EVPN function being applied, then processingproceeds to process block 138. Otherwise, in process block 146, thenative packet is forwarded from one or more corresponding interfaces aspart of the EVPN function being applied, and processing proceeds toprocess block 149.

Continuing with process block 138, an egress lookup operation isperformed on the outbound packet to determine forwarding information,with the packet being forwarded accordingly. Processing proceeds toprocess block 149.

Continuing in process block 149, processing of the flow diagram of FIG.1C is complete as indicated by process block 149.

FIG. 1D illustrates a Segment Routing (SR) packet 160 according to oneembodiment. As shown, SR packet 160 (e.g. SRv6 packet) includes a SRencapsulating header 162 and native packet 169. SR encapsulating header162 includes an IPv6 header 167 and one or more SR headers (SRHs) 168.

FIGS. 2A-B and their discussion herein provide a description of variousSRv6 and/or MPLS nodes according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of a packet switching device 200(e.g., SR-capable router and/or MPLS-capable router) according to oneembodiment. As shown, packet switching device 200 includes multiple linecards 201 and 205, each with one or more network interfaces for sendingand receiving packets over communications links (e.g., possibly part ofa link aggregation group), and with one or more processing elements thatare used in one embodiment associated with EVPN using a SRv6 UnderlayNetwork and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling.Packet switching device 200 also has a control plane with one or moreprocessing elements 202 for managing the control plane and/or controlplane processing of packets associated with EVPN using a SRv6 UnderlayNetwork and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling.Packet switching device 200 also includes other cards 204 (e.g., servicecards, blades) which include processing elements that are used in oneembodiment to process (e.g., forward/send, drop, manipulate, change,modify, receive, create, duplicate, perform SR gateway functionalitypossibly with shared memory with one or more service functions, apply aservice according to one or more service functions) packets associatedwith EVPN using a SRv6 Underlay Network and SRv6-enhanced Border GatewayProtocol (BGP) signaling, and some hardware-based communicationmechanism 203 (e.g., bus, switching fabric, and/or matrix, etc.) forallowing its different entities 201, 202, 204 and 205 to communicate.Line cards 201 and 205 typically perform the actions of being both aningress and egress line card, in regards to multiple other particularpackets and/or packet streams being received by, or sent from, packetswitching device 200. In one embodiment, SRv6 EVPN processing of packetsis implemented by packet switching device 200 (e.g., on one or more ofline cards 201, 205, on a service card 204).

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of an apparatus 220 used in one embodimentassociated with EVPN using a SRv6 Underlay Network and SRv6-enhancedBorder Gateway Protocol (BGP) signaling. In one embodiment, apparatus220 performs one or more processes, or portions thereof, correspondingto one of the flow diagrams illustrated or otherwise described herein,and/or illustrated in another diagram or otherwise described herein.

In one embodiment, apparatus 220 includes one or more processor(s) 221(typically with on-chip memory), memory 222 (possibly shared memory),storage device(s) 223, specialized component(s) 225 (e.g. optimizedhardware such as for performing lookup and/or packet processingoperations and/or service function, associative memory, binary and/orternary content-addressable memory, etc.), and interface(s) 227 forcommunicating information (e.g., sending and receiving packets,user-interfaces, displaying information, etc.), which are typicallycommunicatively coupled via one or more communications mechanisms 229(e.g., bus, links, switching fabric, matrix), with the communicationspaths typically tailored to meet the needs of a particular application.

Various embodiments of apparatus 220 may include more or fewer elements.The operation of apparatus 220 is typically controlled by processor(s)221 using memory 222 and storage device(s) 223 to perform one or moretasks or processes. Memory 222 is one type ofcomputer-readable/computer-storage medium, and typically comprisesrandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory,integrated circuits, and/or other memory components. Memory 222typically stores computer-executable instructions to be executed byprocessor(s) 221 and/or data which is manipulated by processor(s) 221for implementing functionality in accordance with an embodiment. Storagedevice(s) 223 are another type of computer-readable medium, andtypically comprise solid state storage media, disk drives, diskettes,networked services, tape drives, and other storage devices. Storagedevice(s) 223 typically store computer-executable instructions to beexecuted by processor(s) 221 and/or data which is manipulated byprocessor(s) 221 for implementing functionality in accordance with anembodiment.

One embodiment provides new extensions to BGP to allow advertisingcertain attributes and functionalities related to SRv6, and endfunctions to process SRv6 EVPN packets.

To support various SRv6-based EVPN overlay services, one embodimentadvertises SIDs using any BGP route-type. To support various SRv6-basedEVPN overlay services, one embodiment advertises SIDs using a BGProute-type 1, 2, 3 and/or 5.

In one embodiment, these SIDs are advertised in a new SRv6-VPN SID TLV,which is optional transitive BGP Prefix SID attribute. This attributeserves multiple purposes. The advertising of the SRv6 SID in theSRv6-VPN SID TLV identifies that the BGP egress router is reachable viaa SRv6 underlay network. In one embodiment, the BGP ingress routerreceiving this BGP route advertisement then encapsulates the receivedpacket into a SRv6 packet or inserts a SRv6 SRH into a received IPv6packet. The advertising of the SRv6 SID in the SRv6-VPN SID TLV alsoidentifies the value of the SID or SIDs to include in the SRH of thepacket. In one embodiment, a BGP speaker supporting a SRv6 underlaynetwork distributes SIDs per route via the BGP SRv6 Attribute.

In one embodiment, a BGP Speaker (e.g., a SRv6 egress router supportingboth MPLS-based EVPN and SRv6-based EVPN) populates the MPLS labelfields in the EVPN route types of a route advertisement, thus providinga BGP ingress router receiving this route advertisement two differentunderlay networks (e.g., MPLS and SRv6) to select among to send to theegress SRv6 router (that is both MPLS and SRv6 capable). In oneembodiment, a BGP Speaker (e.g., a SRv6 egress router not supportingMPLS-based EVPN but supporting SRv6-based EVPN) populates the MPLS labelfields in the EVPN route types of a route advertisement toIMPLICIT-NULL, thus providing a BGP ingress router receiving this routeadvertisement the SRv6 routing information and informing it that it doesnot support MPLS-based EVPN. In this manner, ingress and egress routersno longer have to negotiate underlay network capabilities, nor use BGPCapabilities Advertisements to ensure that they both are capable ofproperly processing such advertised NLRI.

FIG. 3A illustrates a SRv6 Type-Length-Value (TLV) 300 according to oneembodiment. As shown, SRv6 TLV 300 includes a Type field 301 (e.g.,eight bits), a Length field 302 (e.g., sixteen bits) indicating thelength of the value field, a Reserve field 303 (e.g., eight bits), and avalue field containing SRv6 SID information 310.

FIG. 3B illustrates SRv6-SID information 310 according to oneembodiment. As shown, SRv6-SID information 310 includes a SID Type Field311 (e.g., one octet) and a SRv6 SID 320 (e.g., an 128 bit IPv6 routableaddress). In one embodiment, SID Type Field 311 is set to type-1 for aLayer-3 End Function. In one embodiment, SID Type Field 311 is set totype-2 for a Layer-2 End Function.

FIG. 3C illustrates SRv6-VPN encoding of a SRv6 SID 320 according to oneembodiment. As shown, SRv6 SID 320 includes a Locator 321 (identifying arouter to which the SID corresponds), a Function 322 (e.g., identifiesprocessing to be performed by the router), and an optional Argument 323for use in performing the processing. In one embodiment, the entire SRv6320 is used in routing a packet through the network to the BGP egressrouter. In one embodiment, a non-fully expanded prefix of SID 320 (e.g.,locator 321, locator 321 plus function 322) is used in routing a packetthrough the network to the BGP advertising router.

FIG. 4A illustrates a SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routeadvertisement message 400 according to one embodiment, advertising a BGPEVPN route for both SRv6 and MPLS underlay networks. As shown, BGP routeadvertising message 400 includes an MPLS EVPN advertisement 401including corresponding MPLS label(s), and a SRv6 TLV 402 including aSID identifying the SRv6 End Function.

FIG. 4B illustrates a SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routeadvertisement message 410 according to one embodiment, advertising a BGPEVPN route for a SRv6 underlay network but not for an MPLS underlaynetwork. As shown, BGP route advertising message 410 includes an MPLSEVPN advertisement 411 including Implicit Null label(s) in MPLS labelfield(s), and a SRv6 TLV 402 including a SID identifying the SRv6 EndFunction (e.g., the same SRv6 TLV 402 in both BGP advertising messages410 (of FIG. 4B) and 400 (of FIG. 4A).

Ethernet Auto-Discovery Route Over SRv6 Core

Ethernet Auto-discovery (A-D) routes are Type-1 route type, defined inRFC 7432, and may be used to achieve split horizon filtering, fastconvergence and aliasing. EVPN route type-1 is also used in EVPN-VPWS aswell as in EVPN flexible cross-connect; mainly used to advertisepoint-to-point services id.

Multihomed PEs may advertise an Ethernet auto discovery route perEthernet segment with the introduced ESI MPLS label extended community,defined in RFC 7432. Provider edge routers (PEs) may identify other PEsconnected to the same Ethernet segment after the EVPN type-4 ES routeexchange. All the multihomed PE and all remote PEs that are part of sameEVI may import the auto discovery route.

In one embodiment, EVPN Route Type-1 is encoded as follows for SRv6Core:

-   -   Route Distinguisher (RD) (e.g., eight octets),    -   Ethernet Segment Identifier (e.g., ten octets),    -   Ethernet Tag ID (e.g., eight octets), and    -   MPLS label (e.g., three octets).

For a SRv6 only BGP speaker for a SRv6 Core: SRv6-VPN SID TLV may beadvertised with the route.

EVPN Route Type-1 (Per-ES AD)

Where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of an egress PE    -   Ethernet Tag ID: all FFFF's    -   MPLS Label: always set to zero value    -   Extended Community: ESI label extended community

In one embodiment, a SRv6-VPN TLV is (or may be) advertised along withthe route advertisement and the behavior of the SRv6-VPN SID is entirelyup to the originator of the advertisement. In one embodiment, thebehavior is Arg.FE2.

EVPN Route Type-1 (Per-EVI AD)

Where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of an egress PE    -   Ethernet Tag ID: non-zero for VLAN aware bridging, EVPN VPWS and        FXC    -   MPLS Label: Implicit-Null

In one embodiment, a SRv6-VPN TLV is (or may be) be advertised alongwith the route advertisement and the behavior of the SRv6-VPN SID isentirely up to the originator of the advertisement. In one embodiment,the behavior is End.DX2, End.DXV2 or End.DT2U.

MAC/IP Advertisement Route (Type-2) with SRv6 Core

EVPN route type-2 is used to advertise MAC or MAC+IP addressreachability for unicast traffic through MP-BGP to all other PEs in agiven EVPN instance. In one embodiment, a MAC/IP Advertisement routetype is encoded as follows for SRv6 Core:

-   -   Route Distinguisher (RD) (e.g., eight octets),    -   Ethernet Segment Identifier (e.g., ten octets),    -   Ethernet Tag ID (e.g., eight octets),    -   MAC Address Length (e.g., one octet),    -   MAC Address (e.g., six octets),    -   IP Address Length (e.g., one octet),    -   IP Address (e.g., zero, four or sixteen octets),    -   MPLS Label-1 (e.g., three octets), and    -   MPLS label-2 (e.g., zero or three octets).

where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of an egress PE,    -   MPLS Label-1: Implicit-null, and    -   MPLS Label-2: Implicit-null.

In one embodiment, the SRv6-VPN SID TLV is (or may be) advertised. Thebehavior of the SRv6-VPN SID is entirely up to the originator of theadvertisement. In one embodiment, the behavior of the SRv6 SID is asfollows:

-   -   End.DX2, End.DTU2 (Layer 2 portion of the route), and    -   End.DT6/4 or End.DX6/4 (Layer 3 portion of the route).

Described below are different types of Type-2 advertisements used in oneembodiment. The first type is used in Layer-2 Gateway whereas the secondtype is used in EVPN IRB.

MAC/IP Advertisement Route (Type-2) with MAC Only:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of egress PE,    -   MPLS Label1: Implicit-null,    -   MPLS Label2: Implicit-null, and    -   SRv6-VPN SID TLV MAY encode End.DX2 or End.DTU2 behavior.

MAC/IP Advertisement Route (Type-2) with MAC+IP:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of egress PE,    -   MPLS Label1: Implicit-Null,    -   MPLS Label2: Implicit-Null, and    -   SRv6-VPN SID TLV MAY encode Layer2 End.DX2 or End.DTU2 behavior        and Layer3 End.DT6/4 or End.DX6/4 behavior.        Inclusive Multicast Ethernet Tag Route with SRv6 Core

EVPN route Type-3 is used to advertise multicast traffic reachabilityinformation through MP-BGP to all other PEs in a given EVPN instance.

-   -   Route Distinguisher (RD) (e.g., eight octets),    -   Ethernet Tag ID (e.g., eight octets),    -   IP Address Length (e.g., one octet), and    -   Originating Router's IP Address (e.g., 4, or 16 octets).

Where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of egress PE, and    -   PMSI Tunnel Attribute (per RFC 6514).

In one embodiment, a SRv6-VPN TLV is (or may be) advertised along withthe route advertisement and the behavior of the SRv6-VPN SID is entirelyup to the originator of the advertisement. In one embodiment, thebehavior is End.DT2M.

In one embodiment, the PMSI Tunnel Attribute (see, RFC 6514) is (or may)contain MPLS implicit-null label in the case of Tunnel Type set toingress-replication.

-   -   Flag (e.g., 1 octet),    -   Tunnel Type (e.g., 1 octet),    -   MPLS label (e.g., three octets), and    -   Tunnel Identifier (e.g., variable).

Where:

-   -   Tunnel Type (e.g., defined per RFC 6514),    -   MPLS label: Implicit-Null, and    -   Tunnel Identifier: IP address of egress PE.

In one embodiment, an Arg.FE2 argument SID is (or may) get applied to anEnd.DT2M function SID to create a single SID on the ingress PE. Theresult End.DT2M(FE2) SID is used as EVPN Split-horizon mechanism (e.g.,as described in RFC 7432).

Ethernet Segment Route with SRv6 Core

In one embodiment, EVPN route type-4 is used to discover PEparticipating to the same redundancy group. It is also used inDesignated Forwarder (DF) election procedure. In one embodiment, anEthernet Segment route type is encoded as follows for SRv6 Core:

-   -   Route Distinguisher (RD) (e.g., eight octets),    -   Ethernet Tag ID (e.g., eight octets),    -   IP Address Length (e.g., one octet), and    -   Originating Router's IP Address (e.g., 4, or 16 octets).

Where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of egress PE.

In one embodiment, SRv6-VPN TLV is advertised along with the route. Inone embodiment, SRv6-VPN TLV is not advertised along with the route. Theprocessing of that route has not changed; it remains as described in RFC7432.

IP Prefix Router (Type-5) with SRv6 Core

In one embodiment, EVPN route Type-5 is used to advertise IP addressreachability through MP-BGP to all other PEs in a given EVPN instance.The IP address may include host IP prefix or any specific subnet. EVPNroute Type-5 is defined in ietf-bess-evpn-prefix-advertisement-05. Inone embodiment, the encoding is as follows:

-   -   Route Distinguisher (RD) (e.g., eight octets),    -   Ethernet Segment Identifier (e.g., ten octets),    -   Ethernet Tag ID (e.g., eight octets),    -   IP Prefix Length (e.g., one octet),    -   IP Prefix (e.g., six octets),    -   GW Address (e.g., four or sixteen octets), and    -   MPLS Label (e.g., three octets),

where:

-   -   BGP next-hop: IPv6 address of an egress PE, and    -   MPLS Label: Implicit-null.

In one embodiment, SRv6-VPN SID TLV is (or may be) advertised. Thebehavior of the SRv6-VPN SID is entirely up to the originator of theadvertisement. In one embodiment, the behavior of the SRv6 SID is anEnd.DT6/4 or End.DX6/4.

Multicast Related Routes (EVPN Route Type-6, Type-7, Type-8)

In one embodiment, these routes do not require any additional SRv6-VPNTLV. In one embodiment, as per EVPN route-type 4, the BGP nexthop isequal to the IPv6 address of egress PE.

SRv6 END Functions Associated with a Local SID

The following describes end functions performed by an egress router inresponse to receiving a SRv6 packet including an advertised SID. The endfunction is typically determined by the function portion of the SID.

End.DX2: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Layer-2 Cross-Connect

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and Layer-2cross-connect to OIF” function (End.DX2 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DX2 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 59 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  forward theresulting frame via OIF associated to the local SID ELSE  drop thepacket

Ref1: An End.DX2 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: The next-header value 59 is allocated to IPv6 No Next Header perRFC 2460. When the SID is of function End.DX2 and the Next-Header is 59,an Ethernet frame is in the payload without any further header.

In one embodiment, an End.DX2 function is customized to expect aspecific VLAN format and rewrite the egress VLAN header beforeforwarding on the outgoing interface. In one embodiment, the End.DX2 isused for L2VPN point-to-point use-cases.

End.DXV2: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific VLAN L2 Table Lookup

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specific VLANL2 table lookup” function (End.DXV2 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DXV2 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0   drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 59 ;; Ref2  pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers   lookup theexposed inner VLANs in L2 table T  forward via the matched table entryELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End.DXV2 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: The next-header value 59 is allocated to IPv6 No Next Header perRFC 2460. When the SID is of function End.DXV2 and the Next-Header is59, an Ethernet frame is in the payload without any further header.

In one embodiment, an End.DXV2 function is customized to expect aspecific VLAN format and rewrite the egress VLAN header beforeforwarding on the outgoing interface. In one embodiment, the End.DXV2 isused for EVPN Flexible cross-connect use-cases. The table lookup supportdot1q, dot1ad with single and double tags.

End.DT2U: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific Unicast MAC L2 TableLookup

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specificunicast MAC L2 table lookup” function (End.DT2U for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DT2U SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 59 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  learn he exposedinner MAC SA in L2 table T ;; Ref3  lookup the exposed inner MAC DA inL2 table T  forward via the matched table entry ELSE  drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DT2U SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: The next-header value 59 is allocated to IPv6 No Next Header perRFC 2460. When the SID is of function End. DT2U and the Next-Header is59, an Ethernet frame is in the payload without any further header.

Ref3: In EVPN, the learning of the exposed inner MAC SA is done viacontrol plane.

In one embodiment, the End.DT2U is used for EVPN Bridging unicast usecases.

End.DT2M: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific L2 Table Flooding

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specific L2table flooding” function (End.DT2M for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DT2M SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 59 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  learn the exposedinner MAC SA in L2 table T ;; Ref3  forward based on all OIF in L2 tableT ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DT2M SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: The next-header value 59 is allocated to IPv6 No Next Header perRFC 2460. When the SID is of function End. DT2U and the Next-Header is59, an Ethernet frame is in the payload without any further header.

Ref3: In EVPN, the learning of the exposed inner MAC SA is done viacontrol plane.

The End.DT2M is used for EVPN Bridging BUM use cases.

Arg.FE2: L2 Argument Specific to EVPN ESI Filtering

One embodiment uses the “L2 argument specific to EVPN ESI filtering”(Arg.FE2 for short) which is an argument of End.DT2M endpoint function.The Arg.FE2 argument is used to exclude a specific OIF from L2 table Tflooding. The Arg.FE2 SID is merged with an End.DT2M function by bitORing operation to form an End.DT2M(FE2) single SID. In one embodiment,the End.DT2M is used for EVPN Bridging with ESI filtering use cases.

End.DT2M(FE2): Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific L2 TableFlooding with Argument

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specific L2table flooding with argument” function (End.DT2M(FE2) for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DT2M SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 59 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  learn the exposedinner MAC SA in L2 table T ;; Ref3  forward based on all OIF excludingthe one specified by   ARGUMENT in L2 table T ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DT2M SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: The next-header value 59 is allocated to IPv6 No Next Header perRFC 2460. When the SID is of function End. DT2U and the Next-Header is59, an Ethernet frame is in the payload without any further header.

Ref3: In EVPN, the learning of the exposed inner MAC SA is done viacontrol plane.

The End.DT2M(FE2) is used for EVPN Bridging with ESI filtering usecases.

End.DX6: Endpoint with Decapsulation and IPv6 Cross-Connect

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and cross-connectto an array of IPv6 adjacencies” function (End.DX6 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DX6 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 41 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  forward tolayer-3 adjacency bound to the SID S ;; Ref3 ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DX6 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: 41 refers to IPv6 encapsulation as defined by LANA allocation forInternet Protocol Numbers.

Ref3: Selected based on a hash of the packet's header (at least SA, DA,Flow Label in one embodiment).

One of the applications of the End.DX6 function of one embodiment is theL3VPN use-case where a FIB lookup in a specific tenant table at theegress PE is not required.

End.DX4: Endpoint with Decapsulation and IPv4 Cross-Connect

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and cross-connectto an array of IPv4 adjacencies” function (End.DX4 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DX4 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 4 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  forward tolayer-3 adjacency bound to the SID S ;; Ref3 ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DX4 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: 4 refers to IPv4 encapsulation as defined by IANA allocation forInternet Protocol Numbers.

Ref3: Selected based on a hash of the packet's header (at least SA, DA,Flow Label in one embodiment).

One of the applications of the End.DX4 function of one embodiment is theL3VPN use-case where a FIB lookup in a specific tenant table at theegress PE is not required.

End.DT6: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific IPv6 Table Lookup

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specific IPv6table lookup” function (End.DT6 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DT6 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 41 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  lookup theexposed inner IPv6 DA in IPv6 table T  forward via the matched tableentry ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DT6 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: 41 refers to IPv6 encapsulation as defined by LANA allocation forInternet Protocol Numbers.

One of the applications of the End.DT6 function of one embodiment is theL3VPN use-case where a FIB lookup in a specific tenant table at theegress PE is required. Note that an End.DT6 may be defined for the mainIPv6 table in which case and End.DT6 supports the equivalent of anIPv6inIPv6 decaps (without VPN/tenant implication).

End.DT4: Endpoint with Decapsulation and Specific IPv4 Table Lookup

One embodiment uses the “Endpoint with decapsulation and specific IPv4table lookup” function (End.DT4 for short).

When N receives a packet destined to S and S is a local End.DT4 SID, Ndoes:

IF NH=SRH and SL > 0  drop the packet ;; Ref1 ELSE IF ENH = 4 ;; Ref2 pop the (outer)IPv6 header and its extension headers  lookup theexposed inner IPv4 DA in IPv4 table T  forward via the matched tableentry ELSE   drop the packet

Ref1: An End. DT4 SID must always be the last SID, or it can be theDestination Address of an IPv6 packet with no SRH header.

Ref2: 4 refers to IPv4 encapsulation as defined by IANA allocation forInternet Protocol Numbers.

One of the applications of the End.DT4 function of one embodiment is theL3VPN use-case where a FIB lookup in a specific tenant table at theegress PE is required. Note that an End.DT4 may be defined for the mainIPv4 table in which case and End.DT4 supports the equivalent of anIPv4inIPv6 decaps (without VPN/tenant implication).

T.Encaps.L2: Transit with Encapsulation of L2 Frames

In one embodiment, T.Encaps.L2 encapsulates the received L2 frame (i.e.the received Ethernet header and its optional VLAN header is in thepayload of the outer packet). If the outer header is pushed without SRHthen the DA must be a SID of type End.DX2, End.DXV2, End.DT2U orEnd.DT2M and the next-header must be 59 (IPv6 NoNextHeader). Thereceived Ethernet frame follows the IPv6 header and its extensionheaders. Else, if the outer header is pushed with a SRH, then the lastSID of the SRH must be of type End.DX2, End.DXV2, End.DT2U or End.DT2Mand the next-header of the SRH must be 59 (IPv6 NoNextHeader). Thereceived Ethernet frame follows the IPv6 header and its extensionheaders.

In one embodiment, T.Encaps.L2 encapsulates the received L2 frame asfollows.

IF outer header is pushed without SRH  IPv6 DA must be a SID of typeLayer-2 ;; Ref2  IPv6 Next-header equals 59 (IPv6 NoNextHeader) received L2 frame follows IPv6 header ELSE (i.e. outer header is pushedwith IPv6+SRH)  The 0th SID of the SRH must be a SID of type Layer-2 ;;Ref2  SRH Next-Header equals 59 (IPv6 NoNextHeader)  received L2 framefollows IPv6 header and its extension headers

Ref1: received L2 frame=received Ethernet header and its optional VLANheader.

Ref2: 4 Layer-2=End.DX2, End.DX2V, End.DT2U or End.DT2M.

Error Handling of BGP SRv6 SID Updates

In one embodiment, when a BGP Speaker receives a BGP Update messagecontaining a malformed SRv6-VPN SID TLV, it ignores the received BGPattributes and does not pass it to other BGP peers. This is equivalentto the—attribute discard—action specified in RFC 7606. In oneembodiment, when discarding an attribute, a BGP speaker logs or does notlog an error for further analysis.

CONCLUDING PARAGRAPHS

In summary, in one embodiment, Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN)is implemented using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing(SRv6) underlay network and SRv6-enhanced Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)signaling. A particular route associated with a particular InternetProtocol Version 6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier(SID) is advertised in a particular route advertisement message of arouting protocol (e.g., BGP). The SID includes a locator of a particularrouter and a function encoding representing a particular EVPN endfunction of the particular router, with the particular SID including aroutable prefix to the particular router. The particular router receivesa particular packet including the particular SID; and in response, theparticular router performs the particular EVPN end function on theparticular packet. In one embodiment, the particular packet includes aSegment Routing Header (SRH) including the particular SID as thecurrently active SID.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of thedisclosure may be applied, it will be appreciated that the embodimentsand aspects thereof described herein with respect to thedrawings/figures are only illustrative and should not be taken aslimiting the scope of the disclosure. For example, and as would beapparent to one skilled in the art, many of the process block operationscan be re-ordered to be performed before, after, or substantiallyconcurrent with other operations. Also, many different forms of datastructures could be used in various embodiments. The disclosure asdescribed herein contemplates all such embodiments as may come withinthe scope of the following claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: network interfacesconfigured to send and receive packets in a network; one or more memorydevices; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the one ormore network interfaces and the one or more memory devices; wherein theone or more processors are configured to cause the apparatus to performprocessing operations, the processing operations comprising: maintainingin the one or more memory devices, forwarding information, theforwarding information associated with an Internet Protocol Version 6(IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID), wherein the SIDcomprises an encoding of an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN)Layer 2 (L2) flooding Segment Routing end function and an encoding of anEthernet Segment Identifier (ESI); receiving, at a first networkinterface of the network interfaces, an IPv6 packet, the IPv6 packetcomprising an SRv6 header, the SRv6 header comprising a destinationaddress; responsive to the destination address comprising the SID,performing behavior of the EVPN L2 flooding segment routing endfunction, wherein the behavior of the EVPN L2 flooding segment routingend function comprises: decapsulating an Ethernet frame from thereceived IPv6 packet by removing the SRv6 header, and forwarding theEthernet frame from each of a set of output network interfaces of thenetwork interfaces identified in a L2 table of the forwardinginformation, wherein the forwarding excludes one or more of the networkinterfaces associated with the ESI; wherein the Ethernet frame is sentfrom at least one of the network interfaces.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the processing operations further comprise advertising theforwarding information in a route advertisement message of a routingprotocol.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the routing protocol isBorder Gateway Protocol (BGP).
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein theroute advertisement message advertises a BGP route type 1, 2, 3, or 5,and associated with a particular SRv6-VPN Type Length Value (TLV)including the SID.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the routeadvertisement message identifies that SRv6 EVPN is supported asidentified by the SRv6-VPN TLV.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thereceived IPv6 Packet comprises a Segment Routing Header (SRH) includingthe SID as the currently active SID.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the SID is a 128-bit IPv6 address.
 8. A method comprising:maintaining in one or more of memory devices, forwarding information,the forwarding information associated with an Internet Protocol Version6 (IPv6) Segment Routing (SRv6) Segment Identifier (SID), wherein theSID comprises an encoding of an Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN)Layer 2 (L2) flooding Segment Routing end function and an encoding of anEthernet Segment Identifier (ESI); receiving, at a first networkinterface of network interfaces, an IPv6 packet, the IPv6 packetcomprising an SRv6 header, the SRv6 header comprising a destinationaddress; responsive to the destination address comprising the SID,performing behavior of the EVPN L2 flooding Segment Routing endfunction, wherein the behavior of the EVPN L2 flooding Segment Routingend function comprises: decapsulating an Ethernet frame from thereceived IPv6 packet by removing the SRv6 header, and forwarding theEthernet frame from each of a set of output network interfaces of thenetwork interfaces identified in a L2 table of the forwardinginformation, wherein the forwarding excludes one or more of the networkinterfaces associated with the ESI; wherein the Ethernet frame is sentfrom at least one of the network interfaces.
 9. The method of claim 8further comprising advertising the forwarding information in a receivedroute advertisement message of a routing protocol.
 10. The method ofclaim 9 wherein the routing protocol is Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).11. The method of claim 10, wherein the route advertisement messageadvertises a BGP route type 1, 2, 3, or 5, and associated with aparticular SRv6-VPN Type Length Value (TLV) including the SID.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the route advertisement message identifiesthat SRv6 EVPN is supported as identified by the SRv6-VPN TLV.
 13. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the received IPv6 Packet comprises a SegmentRouting Header (SRH) including the SID as the currently active SID. 14.The method of claim 8, wherein the SID is a 128-bit IPv6 address. 15.The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving, by an ingressrouter, an route advertisement message; receiving, by the ingressrouter, the Ethernet frame; encapsulating the Ethernet frame into theIPv6 packet by the ingress router; and sending the IPv6 packet into anetwork by the ingress router.